Page 16: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 1995)

C. Plath Debuts Next-Level

Technology

At International Shows

Meyer Werft In Talks To Commercially

Operate Philadelphia Navy Yard

Last fall, C. Plath in- troduced what it touts as "marine navigation technology for the next millennium." At both the Ship and Machin- ery Show (SMM '94) in

Germany and at the

Fort Lauderdale Inter- national Boat Show, the company reported tre- mendous interest sur- rounding the company's

Fiber Optic Gyrocom- pass (FOG). C-Plath plans to introduce FOG as a north seeking gyrocompass at

SMM '96.

Technology Under

Development

The German Federal Ministry of

Science and Technology is subsidiz- ing — as a part of a major project entitled "The Integrated Ship's

Bridge" — the development of the first all electronic gyrocompass for merchant marine application. C.

Plath, known for its innovations and reliability in mechanical gyrocom- pass technology, was extended a research grant from the organiza- tion to bring the product technology to the marine market.

The development is being carried out exclusively by sister company

Litef, which currently produces this product for the aviation industry. It will be the task of C. Plath over the next two years to bring to market a maintenance-free, north seeking gyrocompass which meets all major classification standards and is cost competitive.

The heart of FOG is an inertial measuring unit which is comprised of three fiber optic gyroscopes and two inclinometers arranged in a strapdown configuration (eliminat- ing the need for gimbal mounting).

The high-speed microprocessor continuously computes true north, roll and pitch angles and the rate of turn of all three axes. Touted fea- tures of this new type of gyrocom- pass include high dynamic accuracy in both high speed applications and those requiring frequent maneu- vers; and high reliability because there is a very short settling time (15 to 40 minutes depending on head- ing and latitude) and because there are no moving parts. "Our customers were most ex- cited about the fact that there is no maintenance required, and that as well as heading information, we can provide a more accurate attitude reference for stabilizers, affording them a smoother, more efficient ride and added fuel savings," said Craig

Wilson, electronics sales manager,

C. Plath North America. FOG is currently in production and avail- able for stabilization applications.

For more information on FOG

Circle 2 on Reader Service Card

A complete Litef LCR-92 u-AHRS in its mounting tray and an LCR-92 sensor block. The Litef

LCR-92 u-AHRS is a Strapdown Attitude and

Heading Reference System based on fiber optic gyro (FOG) technology. Litef is a sister company of C. Plath, the manufacturer which will introduce a marine industry version of FOG at SMM '96.

Dual, Mosvold Drop Sales Talk

Dual Drilling Co. and its major- ity shareholder Mosvold Shipping

AS said that after consultation with financial and legal advisors, they have concluded that the current market environment makes it un- desirable to pursue a sale of all shares of Dual, or of the 59 percent block owned by Mosvold. Dual and

Mosvold have said that no such ef- fort will be undertaken at this time and that Dual will continue its ef- forts to improve profitability.

Philadelphia Mayor Edward

G. Randall announced that the city has reached an agreement with major international ship- builder Jos. L. Meyer GmbH &

Co. (Meyer Werft), a German ship- building company, to begin nego- tiations for the construction and operation of a world-class ship- building and repair facility at the

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

The agreement grants a 120- day period of exclusivity for Meyer

Werft and the city to evaluate financing, ownership, labor force training and other operational is- sues affecting the development of specific facilities at the Navy yard.

The Navy, which will continue to own the yard and operate parts of it, has an agreement with Phila- delphia that grants the city an option to lease part of the yard from the Navy.

The large Philadelphia facility is expected to cease most Navy operations this fall, idling 4,000 workers. If Meyer Werft and the city of Philadelphia reach an agreement, the German yard would employ as many as 2,000 workers at the naval yard, and would achieve a savings in wages and benefits over levels in Ger- many. The German shipbuilder specializes in cruise ships, gas tankers and other complex ves- sels. "Meyer Werft's choice of Phila- delphia is a tremendous vote of confidence for both our region and the workforce at the Navy yard,"

Mayor Randall noted. "This agreement moves the city for- ward in our goal of creating jobs and economic activity," he added.

This announcement concludes several months of discussions be- tween the city and Meyer Werft.

The plan now being negotiated has Meyer Werft investing $60 million in the yard, as well seek- ing additional private and public funding in the amount of about $300 million. These funds would be used to enclose one of the yard's large drydocks, and also to pay for the retraining of workers and improvements to the yard's fa- cilities.

During the 120-day negotia- tion period, the city and Meyer

Werft hope to negotiate a long- term agreement which will en- able Meyer Werft to lease facili- ties from the city and establish a shipbuilding operation at the

Naval Shipyard. The city has a lease with the Navy that permits it to control the facilities covered by the Letters of Intent with

Meyer Werft. That lease was signed in November 1994.

In a statement released to the

Mayor, Bernard Meyer, CEO of

Meyer Werft, observed: "We see tremendous potential in Phila- delphia. The physical assets be- ing transferred to the city by the

U.S. Navy are virtually irreplace- able. The skills and productivity of the workforce are world com- petitive. We believe that the en- (Continued on page 19)

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Fax: (309) 765-3197 miim-mm 18 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News